Col. Stephen Twitty, ‘85, to appear on Tavis Smiley show

SC State alumnus led initial attack into Baghdad during Operation Iraqi Freedom

ORANGEBURG – An SC State alumnus and military hero will appear on a national late night television program this week.

U.S. Army Colonel Stephen Twitty, ‘85, will appear on the Wednesday, Nov. 14, edition of Tavis Smiley on PBS. The show is scheduled to air on local South Carolina ETV affiliates on Thursday, Nov. 15, at 12 a.m., and will re-air on Friday, Nov. 16, at 12:30 a.m. The episode will also air on cable on the ETV South Carolina Channel on Thursday, Nov. 15, at 12 a.m. and Friday, Nov. 16, at 12:30 a.m.

As head of the U.S. Army’s Fourth Brigade Combat Team, also known as the Longknife Brigade, Twitty is in command of 1,000 soldiers in Iraq and led the initial attack into the city of Baghdad. He has earned numerous awards and decorations during his military career and is the only African American serviceman to receive a Silver Star – the nation’s third highest military award for valor – for his service in Iraq. Twitty also served in Germany and Belgium and fought in Operation Desert Storm.

Twitty earned a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice at SC State, where he also served in the SC State ROTC Bulldog Battalion, and received a master’s degree in public administration from Central Michigan University.